Apparatus for lasting boots and shoes.



PAT ENTED AUG. 14, 1906.

A. r. BUTT.- APPARATUS FOR LASTING BOOTS AND SHOES.

APPLIOATION FILED JULY 1. 1906.

' anuzntoz JAQQ Wihwoow ADOLPH F. BOTT, OF ROCHESTER,

THIRD TO JOHN F. MARX AND OF ROCHESTER, NEW YORK.

NEW YORK, ASSIGNOR OF ONE- ONE-THIRD TO PHILIP WIOKENS,

APPARATUS FOR LASTING BOOTS AND SHOES- Application filed July 1, 19

Specification of Letters Ifatent.

Patented Aug. 14, 1906. 05. Serial No. 267,922.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ADoLPH F. Born, of

Rochester, in the county of Monroe and State of N ew.York, have inventedcertain new and useful Improvements in Ap aratus for Lasting Boots andShoes; and I $0 hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, andexact description of the same, reference being had to the accompanyingdrawings, forming a part of the specification, and to thereference-numerals marked thereon. My present invention relates to theart of manufacturing boots and shoes; and it has for its object toprovide an improved apparatus for securing the boot or shoe upper to thelast and stretching it thereon in'readiness to1 be stitched or otherwisesecured to the so e.

To these and other ends the invention consists in certain improvementsand combinations of parts, all as will be hereinafter more fullydescribed, the novel features 'being pointed out in the claims at theend of the specification.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a perspective view of an apparatusconstructed in accordance with my invention. Fig. 2 is a bottom planview of a shoe 011 a last, illustrating the operation of the apparatus.Fig. 3 is a rear elevation thereof, and Fig. 4 is a side elevation of amodification.

Similar reference-numerals of the several figures indicate similarparts.

In the manufacture of boots and shoes it has been the general customheretofore to stretch the upper portion of a shoe over a last by meansof pincers and to secure it at various points with tacks, which aresubsequently removed after the edges of the upper have been stitched tothe sole. The principal disadvantages in this operation arethatconsiderable time is required to last each shoe, and unless the operatorexerts great care one portion of the upper maybe stretched more thananother, resulting in the making of a poorly-fitting shoe. Further, thetacks employed are driven through the insole of the shoe into the last,causing the insole to be roughened at numerouspoints on its surface andthe last to be perforated or indented on the bottom to such an extentthat after numerous shoes have been made thereon the tacks will not holdin the last and it is necessary to discard it. My invention has for itsobject to provide means for overcoming these dis advantages, and in thepresent illustration I have shown one embodiment of the invention, whichcomprises a drawing device attached to the edges of the upper and meanssupported on the last for placing the drawing device under tension.

In illustrating the invention I have shown it employed in themanufacture of a turnshoe, the insole 1 thereof being secured over thesole of the lasting-block located within the shoe-upper, the edges ofwhich are shown and indicated by 2 in Fig. 2. The drawing device ispreferably formed of fine steel Wire 3, secured to the edges 2 of theupper at the toe portion and the sides thereof by overcast stitches 4,extending rearwardly to the instep portion of the shoe, (indicated by5.) Embracing the heel of the shoe and bearing against the heel of thelast is a frame 6, hav ing diverging curved arms 7 and aforwardlyprojecting arm 8 arranged above the arms 7 and located betweenthem. The forward ends of the arms 7 are curved downwardly, and theirupper ed es extend outwardly beyond their lower e ges, adapting them tofit snugly against the narrower tapering portion of the heel of the lastbelow the sole. sired, these arms may be provided on their faces with acovering of rubber or similar material, (indicated by 9,) adapted togive them a firmer grip and which will prevent any possible abrasion ordiscoloration by contact with the shoe-lining, as the latter is usuallyoperated upon when in a dampened condition. Between the arms 7 a lug orfinger 10 is formed by striking up a portion of the frame 6, and as thisprojection is held firmly in engagement with the heel of the shoe on thelast the rear end of the frame is prevented from tipping upwardly when astrain is exerted thereon. The arm 8 is adapted to rest against the soleof the shoe, and its forward end terminates in proximity to the insteportion thereof, where an upwardly-exten ing lip 11 is provided, having;

vice or mm 3 may be readily passed. The

eye 12 forms a guide which by its location relatively to the instepportion of the shoe causes the drawing device to pull inwardly tostretch the upper at each side of the instep as well as at otherportions of the shoe.

The means employed for straining or affecting the longitudinal movementof the drawing device is mounted on the frame 6 and comprises arevoluble post 14, preferably journaled in the arm 8 and secured at itslower end to a ratchet-wheel 15. The latter is located in a transversel-extending recess 16, provided between the upper and lower walls of thearm, and also located therein is a spring-operated pawl 17, having anoutwardly-extending end 18, which may be operated to throw the pawl outof engagement with the ratchet-wheel. The upper end of the post 14 ismade angular, as indicated at 19, to receive the correspondingly-shapedend of an operating handle or key, and extending transversely of saidend is a slot 20, adapted to receive the free ends of the drawing device3 or wire.

The modified form of the frame illustrated in Fig. 3 shows the windingmember or post 14 supported between the ears 21 and 22 of a bracket 23,secured to the rear of the frame 6. At its lower end the post is alsoprovided with a ratchet-wheel 15, with which cooperates a dog or pawl17.

The operation of lasting a shoe with the apparatus embodying myinvention will be readily understood. The insole 1 being placed on thelast, the shoe-upper is placed thereon so that its edges, which areprovided with the wire 3, are in the usual position above the edges ofthe insole. The frame 6 is then fitted over the heel of the shoe, thearms 7 7 firmly grasping opposite sides of the last, and the arm 8bearing against the shoesole. The ends of the drawing device or wire 3are then brought together and passed into the guide-eye 12 and theirfree ends secured to the post 14 by inserting them in the slot 20. Byapplying a key or wrench to the angular end 19 of the post the operatormay force the ends of the wire downwardly to secure them in the slot,and by rotating the post the wire may be drawn rearwardly to produce anequal tension on all points of the toe and side portions of the upperand se curely fit it to the last. The sewing opera tion may be thenperformed in the usual manner, and when completed the surplus edges, towhich the wire 3 is attached, may be trimmed off and the frame 6removed, permitting the heel portion of the upper to be sewed or nailedto the corresponding part of theinsole, according to the character ofthe shoe undergoing the process of manufacture.

I claim as my invention- 1. The combination with a drawing deviceadapted to be attached to the toe and side portions of a shoe-upper, ofa mechanism embracing the heel of a shoe when it contains its last,comprising a revoluble member adapted to be connected to said drawingdevice arranged with its axis extending in a plane at right angles tothe plane in which the drawing device lies.

2. A device for lasting shoes comprising a frame adapted to bear againstthe heel of a shoe containing a last and to extend over the solethereof, a drawing device arranged on the shoeupper, a revoluble membersupported on the frame and adapted to cooperate with said drawingdevice, the axis of said member extending vertically relatively to thesole of the shoe.

3. An apparatus for lasting shoes comprising a frame arranged to bearagainst one end of a last inserted in a shoe having an extension adaptedto project over the sole thereof, a movable member on the frame, a guidearranged in front of the member and a drawing device located on theshoe-upper having free ends extending through the guide and attached tothe movable member.

4. v A device of the character describedcomprising a frame havingdiverging arms, an upper forwardly-extending arm, a post journaled inthe last-mentioned arm and revoluble freely in one direction having anangular portion and provided with a transverse slot.

5. In a device of the character described, the combination with a framehaving diverging arms and an arm extending between and located abovesaid arms, of a post journaled in the upper arm, a ratchet-wheelconnected to the post and a pawl cooperating with said wheel.

6. In a device of the character described, the combination with a framehaving diverging arms and an arm extending between and located abovesaid arms, of a post journaled on the upper arm, having an angular endprovided with a transversely-extending slot and means for preventing therotation of the post in one direction.

7. In a device of the character described, the combination with a framehaving diverging arms provided with frictional faces and an armextending between and located above said arms, having anupwardly-extending slotted end, of a revoluble winding-post journaled onsaid arm in rear of said end.

8. In an apparatus adapted to stretch a shoe-upper on its last, thecombination with a drawing device adapted to be secured to TTO the edgesof the upper at the toe and side tension device in rear of the guideadapted to portions thereof having free ends, of a frame have the freeends of the drawing device conarranged to embrace the heel of a lasthaving nected thereto.

a forwardly-projecting arm, an open guide ADOLPH F. BOTT. 5 arran ed onthe arm and adapted to be sup- Witnesses: I orte in proximity to theinstep portion of a G. WILLARD RICH,

ast for receiving the drawing device, and a CLARENCE A. BATEMAN.

